P3 - Energy Resouces And Their Uses✔️ Flashcards
Explain how a power station produces electricity?
In coal or oil-fired power stations, fuel is burnt which heats water in a boiler to produce steam which drives a turbine that turns an electricity generator
What is biofuel?
Any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms like animial waste, plants, methane and ethanol and can be used to generate electrcity
Explain how biofuel is renewable?
renewable because its biological source either regrows or is continually produced so it is used at the same rate that it is replaced
Explain how biofuel is carbon-neutral?
The carbon that living things take in from the atmosphere as carbon dioxide can balance the amount that is released when the biofuel is burnt
Explain step 1 and 2 of how nuclear energy works to prouce electric?
1) Fuel in a nuclear power station is uranium which is in sealed cans in the core of the reactor
2)the nucleus of an uranium atom is unstable so it can split in two, which transfers energy from the nucleus in turn heating the core up
Explain steps 3 to 5 of how nuclear energy works to prouce electric?
3) energy of the core is transferred by a fluid (coolant) that is pumped through the core
4)coolant is very hot and leaves the core through a pipe to a heat exchanger, then back to the reactor core
5)energy transferred by the coolant is used to turn water into steam which drives turbines that turn electrcity generators
Pros and cons of using nuclear energy?
Pros:
- no greenhouse gases released because uranium releases energy without burning
Cons:
- produces radioactive waste which needs to be stored for many years
Explain how wind energy works?
Involves putting lots of wind turbines up in exposed areas like by the coast - each turbine has a generator inside it - the rotating blades turn the generator to produce electrcity
Give three Pros for using wind energy to produce electrictity through turbines?
- no pollution except when manufactured
- no fuel costs and minimal running costs
- no permanent damage to landscape
Give three Cons for using wind energy to produce electrictity through turbines?
- can spoil the view and would need 1500 turbines to replace one coal-fired power station
- can be very noisy for people living nearby
- wind turbines will stop if there is no wind
Explain how solar cells generate electricity?
Generates current directly from sunlight and are often used to power items which don’t use much electric like caculators or watches and are often used in remote areas
What are 3 pros of using solar cells to produce electricty?
- no pollution - however produce quite a bit when manufactured
- very reliable in sunny places - but only in daytime
-low running costs
What are 3 cons of using solar cells to produce electricty?
- can’t increase the power output when there is extra demand
- high initial cost
- used on a smaller scale
Explain how geothermal power is used to generate electricty?
Uses the slow decay of radioactive elements deep inside the earth which heats rocks near to the surface - which cane then be used to heat water or heat building directly
What are 3 pros of using geothermal power to produce electricty?
- can be used to directly heat buildings
- free and reliable energy
- doe not damage the enviorment
What are 2 cons of using geothermal power to produce electricty?
- are not many suitable locations for power plants
- cost of building a power plant is high compared to the amount of energy it produces
Explain how hydro-electric power produces electric?
Usually requires flooding of a valley by building a dam and then letting water out through turbines which turn generators
What are 3 pros of using hydro-electric power to produce electricty?
- can provide immediate response to an increased demand for electrcity
- no problem with reliability except in times of drought
- minimial running costs and no fuel costs
What are 3 cons of using geothermal power to produce electricty?
- big impact on the enviorment through the flooding of valleys (which produces methane and carbon dioxide through rotting of plants)
- high initial costs
- unreliable in times of drought
Explain how wave power produced electricity?
Lots of small wave-powered turbines located around the coast which are connected to a generator
What are 3 pros of using wave power to produce electricty?
- no pollution
- no fuel costs and minimial running costs
- can be very useful to produce electricity on small islands
What are 3 cons of using wave power to produce electricty?
- disturbs the seabead and the habitats of marine animials
- high initial costs
- can spoil the view and be a hazard to boats
Explain how tidal power can be used to produce electrictity?
Big dams are built across river estuaries with turbines in them - as the tide comes (produced by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon) in it fills up the estuary - the water is then allowed out through the turbines at a controlled speed
What are 3 pros of using tidal power to produce electricty?
- no pollution
- tides are often reilable - happen twice a day
- minimial running costs and no fuel costs
What are 3 cons of using wave power to produce electricty?
- tides might not always be the same height so less energy will be produced when this is the case
- moderately high initial costs
- alters the view and habitats of wildlife
What are 3 cons of using biofuels to produce electricty?
- some areas have had large forests cleared to make way to grow bio-fuels
- decay and burning of vegetation increases co2 and methane emissions
- some worry there isnt enough space or water to meet the demands fro crops that are grown for food
What are 2 pros of using biofuels to produce electricty?
- fairly reliable and excess crops can be stored for later use
- carbon neutral - if grown at the rate they are burnt
What are 2 pros of using non-renewables to produce electricty?
- reliable and are extrcated from the earth at a fast enough rate to always have fuel in stock
- running costs are not that expensive and there are low ectractioncostss for the fuel
What are 2 cons of using non-renewables to produce electricty?
- fuels are slowly running out - may run out withing a hundred years
- burning coal and oil can cause acid rain - which damages the enviorment
- nuclear energy can always result in massive disasters
What are 3 reasons making it hard to switch to renewables?
- expensive to swicth to renewable power and there are arguments if its ethical to force people to pay more
- requires further research into improving reliability which is expensive and takes time
- argument for where to put some of them - people dont want to live next to wind farms
Define non-renewable energy?
Energy resources like fossil fuels and nuclear energy which form undeground over millions of years ago - burnt to produce energy they will run out because they are ‘finite’ (limited)
How are non-renewables used for heating?Give three examples?
- natural gas is used to heat water that is pumped into radiators throughout the house
- coal is burnt in fireplaces
- electric heaters use electric generated through non-renewables
How are renewables used for heating?Give three examples?
- geothermal can be used to directly heat a building
- solar water heaters use the suns heat to heat water which is then pumped around the house
- burning bio-fuel or electric generated through renewable ways
